Michael O'Neill says qualification for the World Cup would be "as good as anything that any Northern Ireland team has done". Northern Ireland travel to Italy in a play-off semi-final on 26 March and are big underdogs against Gennaro Gattuso's side. The overall prize is a place in Group B at the World Cup, alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. It would be a monumental effort for Northern Ireland to reach a first World Cup in 40 years, and that is something O'Neill is well aware of. "It's a huge challenge, but we have the opportunity to write our names into the history of football here in Northern Ireland.

Source: BBC March 16, 2026 22:51 UTC